3 The Wider Universe
by Dr Vanya
Summary: The Doctor travels to the near future to an event that shows humanity at its finest. But as the dignitaries start to arrive an uninvited guest seeks to disrupt the proceedings and events start to deviate from history.
1. The Wider Universe: Part 1

The Wider Universe

By Vanya

Part 1

Haze was depressed, which led to a somber mood in the TARDIS. The Doctor too was feeling down after their last trip. All he had wanted to do was to share the wonders of the universe, but all he had exposed was human ignorance and brutality. But he had promised her hope and that's what he would deliver. Wordlessly he guided the TARDIS towards their destination.

***********************************

In normal space and time an executive shuttle was speeding to the same destination. A formidable looking man tensely paced the corridors of the ship. He was feeling restless, not helped by the formal attire he had been contractually obliged to wear. The tie felt tight around his neck and his repertoire of unarmed combat moves were severely restricted by his suit. But it was his footwear that caused most discomfort, _Such_ _ridiculous things _he though, looking down, highly polished dress shoes were no substitute for combat boots and a concealed blade.

He knew everything on board the shuttle was secure, but was uncomfortable with the idea of doing nothing for the entire trip. There would be time for rest once his job was over. "Sit down Reinhardt, relax," advised his employer, "We're not even expecting trouble, you are just here as a precaution." But Reinhardt declined and continued his sweep.

***********************************

With a little flourish the Doctor threw the final switch and guided the TARDIS down to a slightly uncomfortable landing. He reached out his hand and pulled Haze to her feet and with a smile he said "We're here, the future. Another time, another world. Beyond those doors is humanity at its finest."

The short girl returned the smile and eagerly stepped forward and threw the doors open. The sight that awaited her was perhaps not all it was cracked up to be.

"So this is humanity at its finest?" she said in a strong Scottish accent, "You've got to give us credit really, we know how to build a good supply cupboard."

"Well I can't just land the TARDIS in the middle of a major event of historical significance can I? But trust me, beyond the next set of doors is humanity at its finest."

Haze maneuvered herself between the tightly packed shelves and fought her way to the door. She and the Doctor emerged onto the stage a large, but deserted conference auditorium. Seating for several hundred was laid out and a grand table took pride of place in the middle of the stage with a podium of either side. Strange equipment rested in each corner, after a moment Haze realised that they were television cameras, but much more sleek and high-tech that any she had seen before. The Doctor gestured toward the large, ornate doors that lead out of the auditorium.

The room beyond was huge and everything was set under a large domed glass ceiling. Beyond that were new and unfamiliar star clusters, but the view was dominated by a planet hanging in the sky, it's surface blue with water, but speckled with many small, brightly coloured land masses. As Haze let out a sigh of amazement the Doctor knew this had been the right place to bring here, the first trip to another world never ceased to amaze, but this was special.

"The planet you see there is Safia in the Galaxy of the Luminous Arc. Right now we're on it's largest moon."

Still mesmerised by the view Haze murmured, "Safia, got it. So what's the occasion?"

"The year is 2542 and we're standing in the James Cosgrove Exhibition Centre, purpose built on an ordinarily uninhabited moon. You see, this is a big day for humanity, we are going to witness the first official treaty between Earth and another planet. This is the day humans enter the wider universe."

***********************************

"We're beginning our final approach Ambassador Cosgrove." Reinhardt announced as he stepped out of the pilot's cabin.

"Thank you Reinhardt," replied the ambassador.

The security chief finally took his seat as the passengers prepared for their decent.

"Don't worry Reinhardt," Cosgrove said has he gently patted his protector's arm. He was a balding man in his early sixties wearing an expensive suit and small round glasses. He spoke in a refined English accent, a product of his Cambridge education. "The Safians are a peaceful people, they offered this treaty to us. You really have nothing to worry about."

"It's not them I'm worried about." Reinhardt replied sternly.

***********************************

Haze was finally able to tear her eyes away from the view and take in the rest of the centre. A huge event had been planned but was still under the process of being set up. An eclectic mix of stands were being arranged in an attempt to show the best that have humans have to offer. Stalls dedicated to art, literature and fine cuisine had been installed as well as those depicting the finer points of human history. One proudly proclaimed 'Human Spirit' and showed the times Earth had been able to defend itself against overwhelming odds. As she approached the unfinished display Haze's eyes were drawn to a mounted photograph, one among many. There was something oddly familiar about the woman in the picture. "Doctor," she began, "That looks almost like an older......"

"You two!" a shrill voice interrupted the question, "Identify yourselves."

The Doctor and Haze spun round and found themselves confronted by a stern looking woman flanked by two well dressed security guards.

"Just inspecting the layout ma'am." replied the Doctor quickly.

"On who's authority? I don't know you and it is my business to know everyone here!" With the the last statement the security guards tensed up.

The Doctor quickly drew the psychic paper and brandished it in her face. "Extra inspection from the Home Office ma'am, I'm the Doctor and this is my assistant Miss McCall. We're just making sure everyone's doing their jobs. And can I just say that you are doing a bang up job yourself miss, what was your name?"

"Lombardo."

"Miss Lombardo, excellent job. Although if I might say that myself and my assistant did get in here rather easily, you might want to look into that."

The security guards remained on alert, unflinching while Miss Lombardo examined the two strangers. The Doctor wore his trademark brown suit, while Haze, on the Doctors advice, had changed since their last trip now favouring a business suit in a shade of purple that matched her hair. The result made the two of them more or less passable as professionals. After a moment Miss Lombardo nodded to her security men and they stood down.

"Well Doctor, if there's anything more I can do for you please let me know." she said, but moved off without any desire for a response and began to take issue with a stall manager.

When she was safely out of ear shot Haze turned to the Doctor and said "Why do I always have to be the assistant. This is the 26th century for crying out loud. Next time you're _my _assistant!

***********************************

In another part of the centre, and unmanned server room, a second uninvited party found had its way inside. It started as a ripple in the air, but a bright light shone out, just for a moment, leaving a solitary figure curled up on the floor. He slowly got to his feet twisting and stretching to work off all the tension from the journey. He was dressed in a black jumpsuit with circuitry running round the outside. He reached up and pulled the hood away from his face, revealing him to be a man in his late thirties, but devoid of any distinctive features, perfectly able to blend in with any crowd. He reached out and ran his gloved hand over one of the computer terminals. There was an odd tremor as he connected and his on-board computer effortlessly interfaced with the computer feeding it all the information he needed it to. Finally the suits camouflage projected the image of a basic technicians uniform around him and he stepped out into the complex.

***********************************

As Miss Lombardo left them to their business the Doctor and Haze strolled the length of the exhibition centre while he gave a brief summary of the past five hundred years.

"So from where you came from humans pretty much continued as they were, technology advanced, with a little help from scavenging, but they were largely ignored by the rest of the universe. And those that took notice regarded the planet as primitive, often wanting to use or for their own ends. If there's one thing you can say about humans it's that they're pretty good in a fight and they were able to fend of any attack, sometimes with a little help from me. I suppose in that respect very little changed. But then the Safians came. While the rest of the universe saw you as ignorant and war-like the Safians were able to see past that. They were were able to see you as a race capable of creating great beauty, they saw art, they saw literature and they saw potential. They hoped that with a little guidance that humans could be persuaded to end their violent ways and become a race dedicated to art and beauty like them. No luck yet, but while humans have been exporting all sorts of art the Safians have provided you with defensive technologies to help keep you safe. So all in all the humans got quite a good deal out of it. In fact......."

But the Doctors words were cut off by a voice over the public address system. "All personnel to their positions, executive shuttle approaching. Repeat, personnel to their positions, executive shuttle approaching."

"OK then history lesson over, I think its time to meet the ambassador."

***********************************

The large outer doors of the shuttle bay slowly opened as the pilot guided the ship down effortlessly as he had done many times before. The door closed and a gentle hiss of gas indicated that pressurisation had been achieved. Once the green light on his console blinked on he reached up and pressed his earpiece to announce the successful landing. With that formality out the way he reached down and pulled the leaver to lower the departure ramp and departed the cabin with his co-pilot.

The passengers on the shuttle began to file out. Ambassador Cosgrove proudly lead the way, with his security chief Reinhardt at his side. Following them were the ambassador's family; his wife of thirty years, a tall elegant lady a few years younger than her husband, their daughter, an established artist whose works had helped her father secure this prestigious position, and their son, a prominent members of the ambassador's staff. After that there were numerous aids and more of the ambassador's personnel and finally the pilots disembarked. The precession marched to the large doors connecting the hanger to the exhibition centre. As they walked the doors swung open revealing Miss Lombardo and the rest of the prominent centre officials. "Welcome ambassador." she said smiling, but only to hide the stress of the job. James Cosgrove smiled back warmly, feeling much more relaxed about the whole affair. He continued to shake hands with each staff member, exchanging pleasantries until he reached someone with whom he was not familiar.

"Hello?" enquired Cosgrove, "You're new."

"Indeed I am," replied the stranger, "I'm the Doctor."

"And what is you're job here Doctor?"

"He's with the Home Office, sir," injected Miss Lombardo, "He and his assistant are performing a special inspection."

"Thank you Miss Lombardo, but I believe he's more than capable of speaking for himself. Tell me Doctor, is everything running to your approval?"

"Oh yes, Ambassador Cosgrove, things are going perfectly, exactly as I'd expect." he added with a little wink to Haze.

"And you young lady, am I correct to assume that you are this man's assistant?"

"Indeed you are." replied Haze through gritted teeth.

"An important position for one so young, I see a bright future ahead of you miss.....?"

"McCall, sir."

"Yes Miss McCall, I can see you doing very well round here."

At this Haze smiled a genuine smile as the ambassador moved on to the other personnel. As the welcoming committee dispersed the Doctor slid over to Haze. "Well, what do you think?"

"He seems like a good guy, I think humans are safe in his hands."

***********************************

The intruder watched the arrival from a distance. _Soon_ he reminded himself_ Soon I will strike_. As he watched the rest of the technicians walked past him oblivious to his true nature. "You," a supervisor stood in his way blocking his view. "Back to work, Mr Reynolds." His PDA supplying him with a false set of information on the uninvited guest.

"Yes sir." the intruder replied and left to carry out his fraudulent duties. _Maybe I'll kill him once the job's done_ he thought idly to himself. He hated playing these low level roles, but circumstances necessitated it. Besides he had what he needed, there was someone else who shouldn't be there, and he knew exactly how to use that.

***********************************

As the hours passed the Doctor and Haze wondered the hall, continuing on their fake inspection while Ambassador Cosgrove and his family had retired to their quarters to prepare. Soon two other ships arrived, one containing representatives of the world's media, the other containing a fifty or so honoured guests, among them dignitaries, artists, actors, politicians, captains of industry and those rich enough to buy their way in. There was deliberately no military presence at all, the organisers had wanted to send the right message to their new allies. As crowds gathered the PA system crackled to life again with an even more important message. "All personnel be advised, Safian envoy approaching. Repeat, all personnel be advised, Safian envoy approaching."

Haze looked up the domed ceiling and saw the ship streaking forward from the planet. The Safian vessel made the human ship look crude and outdated, the shuttle on which the envoy travelled looked as much like a work of art as it did a spaceship. It glided effortlessly towards the exhibition centre, landing in its own hanger on the other side of the building. A crowd gathered by the outer doors with Juliet Cosgrove, the ambassador's wife and the centre's manager Miss Lombardo at the forefront. As the crowd waited in anticipation Miss Lombardo muttered, "Remind me again why the ambassador isn't here himself."

"The Safians insisted they not see him before the signing, seemed to think its what we would want. If you ask me I think they're confusing their human ceremonies." She said with a nervous laugh.

Before the conversation could get any further the doors swung open to reveal the Safian envoy, fifty of their own, specially selected members of their species. They were a race that possessed a strange beauty, each one tall and willowy with sky blue skin and deep green eyes. Each wore a robe in striking and unique colours walked with a grace that looked almost as if they were floating. The lead Safian approached their welcoming party.

"Greeting to you Juliet Cosgrove, I hope you and your family are well." the voice was a perfect soprano and had a lyrical quality to it, as the Safian spoke it took the hand of the ambassador's wife.

"Thank you Lunia, we are all well. Please feel free to enjoy this exhibition of humanity. The ceremony will commence in thirty minutes."

The rest of the envoy drifted into the room and began to roam the exhibitions. Haze watched in awe as the aliens went through, sampling the best humans had to offer.

"Good aren't they?" whispered the Doctor, "Fascinating species, they actually have six distinct genders, which makes their reproductive habits interesting to say the least."

"Six! You're joking!"

"Maybe."

As time passed Miss Lombardo began to usher everyone towards the auditorium for the main event, the signing of the treaty. The signing was just for show, the treaty had been written and agreed upon over a period which had spanned months in advance, but both races had been keen to put on a good performance. As they headed to the auditorium Haze was jostled by a technician going the other way. "Sorry." he muttered as she shot him a look of annoyance. He was a man in his late thirties, but didn't stand out from the crowd and was quickly forgotten. She and the Doctor carried on to the auditorium and took their seats. The lights dimmed and a young woman took the stage and stood behind the left hand podium. She had long blonde, almost white hair was dressed in a pale business suit.

"Good evening ladies, gentlemen and our Safain guests," she began, "I am Elizabeth Cosgrove and it is a great honour for me to introduce this historic event. I can think of no one better to lead us into a new era of interspecies cooperation than my father. I have had the full benefit from his years of wisdom and I'm glad the rest of the galaxy can now benefit from it too. It is also my great honour to introduce a piece of my own work in order to commemorate this occasion. I give you Nature's Bridge."

A sculpture was unveiled behind her, abstract representations of Earth and Safia were depicted with a great bridge connecting them. There was thunderous applause from the human portion of the audience along with a strange, but approving whirring noise from the Safians. Once this died down Elizabeth Cosgrove took the stand again.

"I would now like to introduce the first of the nights entertainment......"

What followed was a sampling of Earth's cultural history for the benefit of the Safians. A sampling of theatre from almost every period, from Greek tragedies, to Shakespeare and Wilde to pieces from the five hundred years after Haze's time were played. After this the ambassador's daughter took the stand once more.

"And now it gives me great pleasure to present the signing of this treaty. I give you the Safian representative Lunia and my father James Cosgrove."

More applause rang out as the ambassadors of each race took the stage.

"Thank you everyone. It is a great honour for me to be standing before you on this historic occasion. Not only is it an honour for me to be chosen to represent my species, but it is also a honour for the entire human race to have been offered this opportunity. Human history has been difficult and often violent, but Lunia and her people were able to see past that. They saw the beauty that we are able to create and I believe as they do that they can guide us to a more peaceful future. We owe a great debt of thanks to our Safain friends and I hope we can reward their faith in us. It is with this in my heart that I sign this treaty."

Cosgrove proudly stepped down from his podium to the table where the document of the treaty was placed on an ornate stand.

"Thank you Ambassador Cosgrove," The Safian ambassador began, "I have faith in you, and in all humans. You and you family have shown me that you are capable of so much......"

Without warning the lights went out and a worried murmur passed through the crowd. Suddenly a blinding flash lanced out from the auditorium towards the stage. The lights flickered back on revealing Ambassador Cosgrove lying on the floor, smoke pouring from a burned hole in his chest.......

End of part 1


	2. The Wider Universe: Part 2

The Wider Universe

By Vanya

Part 2

"Nobody move!" bellowed Reinhardt, "Lock down the auditorium!"

The bodyguard had been half way across the stage when it happened, springing into action as soon as the lights had gone out, but was still unable to make it to the ambassador in time. He knelt down next to his employer to check for vitals.

A panicked murmur ran through the crowd as people began to rise for their seats, some seeking exits other trying to get a better look at what was going on. A man in a brown suit aggressively fought his way to the front. He athletically vaulted to the the stage and knelt next to Reinhardt. "It's OK," he said quickly, "I'm a doctor." He checked Cosgrove's pulse, faint, but maybe he could be saved. Maybe.

"We need to get him out of here," he said to Reinhardt, "Where's the best place to take him?"

"His personal quarters, just through the back doors."

A team of paramedics arrived and with the Doctor's help the ambassador's limp body was lifted onto the stretcher. Haze stood with the rest of the crowd, panicked and alone.

***********************************

James Cosgrove was carried into his chambers by the paramedics, the Doctor by his side followed closely by Reinhardt and the ambassador's family. Once he was placed on his bed the Doctor turned to the medic in charge, "What equipment do you have here?" he demanded, "Bring me everything!"

The medic nodded and quickly raided the supplies. The Doctor looked down at the sub-standard collection of medical equipment, _It will have to do_ he thought. The sonic screwdriver was out and a few hurried modifications were performed, and then the Doctor started to work on his patient's chest wound. Suddenly the ambassador's had reached up and weakly grasped the Doctor's wrist.

"It's alright," he said with a slight smile. His family rushed to his side, his wife on one side, his children on the other, "You must finish what I started here, all of you," he glanced at the Doctor with that comment, "Don't let it die with me." His hand went limp and his eyes flickered shut.

"No!" the Doctor's words were defiant, "James Cosgrove does _not_ die today!" and he continued to work through gritted teeth with renewed vigour.

***********************************

The mood in the auditorium was still tense. Burly security guards barred all the doors, preventing everyone, guests, Safians, technicians, performers and stage hands from leaving. Haze was shocked and confused by the whole incident. Why had the Doctor brought her here? This was supposed to be humanity at its finest, not a high profile assassination. She tried to engage the staff in conversation, desperately trying to learn something of what was going on, even resorting to trying "My boss is in there." but to no avail.

***********************************

Ambassador James Cosgrove was dead. Despite the continued efforts of the Doctor the wound he sustained was too severe. The room stood silent for a moment, only broken by gentle sobbing of the widow. The Doctor threw his improvised tool the floor in anger. After a few moments of working off the stress and collecting his thoughts he finally spoke, "This shouldn't have happened."

Reinhardt grabbed him roughly by the shoulders and pushed him against the wall, "Surly you don't blame me for this?" the bodyguard said angrily, but let go and stepped back, "I'm sorry. It was my fault, I am here to protect Ambassador Cosgrove and I failed."

"No ones blaming you Reinhardt." Elizabeth put her hand on his shoulder sympathetically, but he turned away, believing himself to be undeserving of sympathy.

"Lets look at the facts of this shall we." the Doctor was taking charge, "Cosgrove was shot while standing on the left side of the stage, looking out at the audience. Now given that his was the right hand podium and he was supposed to be signing the treaty it stands to reason he positioned himself in front of the Safian when the lights went out. That blast was meant for Lunia, not Cosgrove."

"So what do we do now?" Harold Cosgrove spoke up for the first time.

"We find the shooter, regardless of who they were shooting at." Reinhardt quickly put his angst and guilt behind him and resumed his duties.

"Quite right and I think I can help you there," the Doctor picked up one of the pieces of medical equipment, a scanning device and once again modified it beyond its original function, "You see the ambassador was attacked using an energy weapon, and all energy weapons leave a distinctive signature. I have readings from the wound and I've recalibrated this scanner to look for it. Thanks to Reinhardt the room is locked down, no one has got in or out, so our shooter will still be in there, " the Doctor threw the scanner to Reinhardt, who caught it effortlessly with one hand, "All we have to do is find him."

As Reinhardt left the room the Doctor turned to follow him, but was briefly stopped by Harold. "Who are you Doctor?" he asked, "Are you an inspector, surgeon, engineer or detective?"

The Doctor smiled back, "I'm multi talented. That's why I always end up in these situations."

***********************************

As Reinhardt strode out onto the stage the nervous sound of the audience died down quickly as all eyes turned to him. He walked up the the podium to deliver the unpleasant news. "Ambassador Cosgrove is dead," a shocked and enraged uproar came from the crowd, "Silence!" he bellowed in an attempt to maintain order, "This deed will not go unpunished. His killer is still in this room and I will find whoever is responsible and bring them to justice."

He produced the Doctor's scanning device and pointed it at the auditorium. After a quick sweep it quickly zeroed on on a single audience member, she was a short woman in her mid twenties wearing thick framed glasses and a purple business suit in a dark shade that matched her hair. As Reinhardt identified her the people close by stepped away leaving her on her own.

"No!" the Doctor spoke quickly, "It can't be, it's impossible."

But his words were ignored as Reinhardt ordered his men after her. Haze found herself frozen to the spot as the security advanced on her. She tried to raise her hands in surrender, but that didn't stop the guards brutally bringing her to the ground. She was searched for weapons, and when the guards had taken everything away that could be remotely dangerous she was led away.

As the guard team left Harold turned to the Doctor, "Wasn't that your assistant?"

***********************************

_Stupid bastard!_ The assassin kicked the wall angrily as soon as he was alone. _Why did he have to do that? Ruin a perfectly good assassination by turning himself into a human shield. For a non-human?_ Once the commotion had died down the centre staff had been released to continue their duties, allowing him to move freely again.

Even the arrest hadn't gone as planned, they were supposed to be in there for hours hunting for the girl he'd framed, not minutes. The intruder swore again, _Who was that guy? _Definitely not an inspector, he knew far too much about what's going on, more than anyone could have known.

Nothing hurts interspecies cooperation like the death of an ambassador, but killing one of your own was never as effective as killing one of them. Knowing the Safians all it will do is generate sympathy and have them offer weapon decommissioning with the rest of the goodies. It was time to tie up the loose end, then attempt something a little more dramatic.

***********************************

"I'm telling you this is impossible!" the Doctor thumped his fist hard against the desk to emphasise his point. The power players of the event had moved the the security office. Reinhardt had taken up a position of prominence at his desk with the the centre's manager Miss Lombardo at his side. The late ambassador's family also occupied the room along with higher ranking security officers.

"She was marked with the energy signature Doctor, the device was of your own design," Reinhardt was in no mood for debating guilt, "Unless your work was flawed in some way."

"My work was perfect!" said the Doctor, perhaps a little too quickly. When that was greeted with silence he added fiercely, "She had no weapons! Do any of you find it the least bit odd that your 'assassin' was completely unarmed?"

"She managed to get through security somehow. Her personal effects are being examined by a member of my team, if one of them is a secret weapon we will find it."

"But she didn't do it! I was with her the whole time, I would have noticed if she started firing energy blasts towards the stage! I can vouch for her character. I _trust _her." the Doctor's voice was seething with anger by this time.

Elizabeth gently touched his arm, "Of course you trust her, I'm sure you wouldn't have taken her on as your assistant if you didn't. But how well do you know her, really? There are many groups opposed to this alliance, she could have been part of any one of them."

"Impossible, there's no way she'd affiliate herself with any of those groups. It's not in her nature."

"But how well do you know her? How long has she been your assistant?"

"We've been working together for ages."

"You're lying Doctor," Reinhardt stood up, dominating the room, "How long have you known her really?"

It was a tense moment, all eyes were on the Doctor. Finally he admitted the truth, "Days. I first met her a few days ago and took her on. But I know her well enough to to know she's no killer, she's....." But his words were lost in the uproar.

"How dare you!" Juliet was ready to scream, "How could you bring someone you don't even know here? To let her get so close! To let her...."

"It's OK mum." Elizabeth put her arm round her mother to calm her down.

As the rest of the room recovered from the shocking news Reinhardt announced "I will interrogate the prisoner."

***********************************

Haze sat alone, nursing the various bruises she had received on her arrest. The right side of her face, which had been mercilessly slammed against the floor, was causing her most discomfort. She was locked in a small dark room, a single cell attached to the security station. A transparent screen separated her from the heavy metal door, and although there was no window she suspected the desolate surface of the moon lay on the other side of the wall. _Never did find out what the moon was called_ she thought idly before her mind snapped back the the seriousness of her predicament. She was aware that a commotion was occurring the other side of the door. _The Doctor_, it had to be him. There was nothing she could do from in there, he was her only hope of getting out. The time in isolation dragged by, eventually the door was opened by the ambassador's hulking blonde bodyguard.

"I am Reinhardt, chief of security for the Cosgrove family. You are held under suspicion of your part in the assassination of Ambassador James Cosgrove and you will answer all questions I put to you. This conversation is being recorded. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Good. For the record please state your name."

Haze took a deep breath and spoke slowly and clearly for the benefit of the recording, "Haze McCall."

There was an uncomfortable pause, "Please state your real name."

She sighed, "Alright, Hazel McCall."

"Please state your real name."

"That _is _my real name," Haze sprang to her feet, "Look, I'm sorry I don't have my bloody driving licence on me, but that's my name."

"It's a false name and a tasteless one at that."

"And What do you mean by that?" Haze almost had her face pressed against the screen, but Reinhardt remained unmoving and unemotional.

"You know what I mean."

"No, I really don't," silence, "Well if you won't accept my name I can't help you."

"Next question, are you a member of any human supremacist or isolationist groups?"

"No, I couldn't even name you one."

"What is you interest in derailing this treaty?"

"None at all, I think it's an amazing thing. I never thought I'd live to see the day when humans could form an alliance with another species."

"What weapon did you use against the ambassador, how did you get it past security?"

"I didn't kill the ambassador! I have no weapon!"

Reinhardt was getting frustrated, he was a man who was usually good at his job, but today he had failed to protect his employer and now the interrogation of the suspect was going nowhere. He was used to them not talking, that he knew how to handle, but this girl was making no sense whatsoever. He decided this had gone on long enough, time to deal with her through the official channels. He didn't like to hand over responsibility so quickly, but there was protocols to be followed. Unless he could provide concrete evidence then the investigation would be taken up by the security service.

"Interview concludes."

***********************************

The Doctor leaned against the wall outside the cell and jumped on Reinhardt as soon as he was back in the office, "So tell me Reinhardt, does she seem like a world class killer to you?"

The bodyguard hesitated, "She seems harmless, but...."

".....But?"

"You've seen the evidence against her Doctor, you created that scanner yourself."

"And how do you reconcile that with what you saw in there?"

Reinhardt paused, "Mind conditioning."

"Don't be ridiculous. Besides, no one knew she was coming here, no one knew _I _was coming here."

"Then how do you reconcile her innocence against the evidence."

"I'm still working on that."

"Excuse me sir?" one of the security team had entered the office carrying a slim file. He saluted to Reinhardt.

"Report sergeant."

"We've examined the personal property of the prisoner, nothing she had on her could function as a weapon. Here's the information you requested." the file exchanged hands.

"Thank you sergeant, you are dismissed." as the sergeant left Reinhardt directed his attention to the file.

"What have you got there?" asked the Doctor "Information on mentally conditioned assassins perhaps? Or maybe how a tiny Scottish girl can shoot massive energy blasts out of her nostrils?"

"No Doctor, this is in fact about you."

"Really, you have a file on me? Can I have a look?" he tried to get round to see over Reinhardt's shoulder but the bodyguard pushed him away.

"Interesting, information on you seems to be limited, but it seems you have a free pass here, UNIT vouch for your credentials."

"Good old UNIT, still going after all these years. Well then I'll just take my assistant and be off...."

"Just you Doctor, it doesn't mention your friend. 'Haze McCall', or whatever her real name, is still the only logical suspect in all this."

"But I have a free pass, what if I could give you the real assassin?"

"You'll have to work quickly, the shuttle will be departing in thirty minutes. I will make the arrangements."

"Right then, I'll start by reviewing the tapes if you don't mind." he turned and called across the room, "Harold, you're with me."

"What, why?" the young man was startled to be singled out.

"Because you haven't done anything yet."

***********************************

Soon the Doctor was hunched over the screens examining the security footage from the exhibition centre.

"We're wasting our time here," Harold protested, "Reinhardt and his team have already been over this, as well as the blackout there was some kind of energy spike, the cameras didn't pick up anything, on any wavelength."

"I'm not looking at the auditorium, I'm looking at footage before it."

"Why? What are you looking for?"

"I don't exactly know, but Haze is the key to all this, she didn't fire the shot, but she's connected somehow."

"But I thought she was with you the whole time she was here?"

"Well whatever it was must have been small, but it's here, somewhere, it has to be."

***********************************

Sitting alone in her cell Haze tried to work out whether the interrogation could be said to be good or bad. On the one hand she didn't say anything incriminating, but she felt her inability to answer even the simplest questions to Reinhardt had put to her didn't bode well either. _What was with that?_ She wondered, _Why wouldn't he accept my name?_ His words still echoed round her head _"It's a false name and a tasteless one at that."_ Haze climbed to her feet and started to pace back and forth in the confined space, trying to make sense of it all. When the door opened she expected to see the hulking security chief back for round two, but instead she saw a much smaller and less physically imposing woman. Elizabeth Cosgrove stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. Haze stopped pacing and looked her visitor in the eye, Elizabeth stared back.

"I needed to talk to you," she said after a moments pause, "Just once before they take you away."

Haze nodded, but said nothing.

"Why did you do it? Why did you kill my father?"

***********************************

With the pre-flight checks complete Reinhardt began to make his way back the security station. It was an unpleasant task but it had to be done. Reinhardt was a man who was usually able to separate his emotions from his work, but this time something didn't feel right.

In the past he had seen good people fall in the defence of their planet. Some had seen his move into private security as a sign of weakness, that he was past his prime. But Ambassador James Cosgrove had believed in him and trusted him with the security of his family. But now he had failed. What made matters worse was that nothing about this situation made sense to him. Haze was the only person who could have carried out the assassination, there was no doubt in his mind about that, but at the same time the though of this girl as a killer was ridiculous to him. He didn't usually try to absolve himself of responsibility, but he would be much happier when this whole business was handed over to the official security services. Maybe they could make more sense of it.

***********************************

The assassin looked down from an gantry in the hanger. _At last,_ he thought, _That lummox has finally done something right_. It was time to cover his tracks, get rid of the only suspect.

***********************************

"I didn't do it! How many times do I have to tell you people?" It was one things to face down security officers, but in this difficult time the last thing Haze wanted was to to face the accusing looks of the victim's family.

"Then how do you explain your presence here? You're not with the home office, I know that much. What they have on the Doctor is vague at best, but you don't even exist. Who are you?"

"I'm just a traveler. I met the Doctor and he promised me the wonders of the universe. He brought me here to see humanity at its finest, all the good people are capable of. I only met your father briefly, but he was a good man, I felt the human race was in safe hands with him. But now he's dead!" Haze paused as she felt her voice starting to break with the emotion she was feeling, "And everyone's just gone back to what they used to do. It's a never ending cycle of fear and ignorance. You were given this great gift, this opportunity, and someone had to....." Haze slumped back onto the uncomfortable seat that had been provided for her, tears welling up in her eyes. She removed her glasses, wiping her face to clear her vision. Once she had regained her composure her visitor spoke again.

"I believe you."

Haze looked up, surprised, "You do?"

"You're no killer Haze, and if they take you away then the real assassin will go free."

"Then get me out of here!"

"I'll do what I can."

Suddenly the door flew open. Reinhardt entered flanked by two members of his security team. "It's time for you to come with me."

"No Reinhardt, don't do it," Elizabeth pleaded with the security chief, "She's innocent."

"I'm sorry, the matter is out of my hands now. She will be sent back to Earth to await trial." As he talked Reinhardt punched in the security code. The screen slid away and Haze was handcuffed by the security guards.

"But if you take her now then the real killer will get away!"

"She's the only suspect, the only one who could have done it."

"You don't really believe that, you're making a mistake."

"I'm sorry."

"It's OK," Haze spoke up as the guards started to take her away, "I'll be fine." _Somehow_, she added to herself, _Come on Doctor, where are you?_

***********************************

"Got it!" the Doctor triumphantly pointed at the screen.

"What?" asked Harold, "What am I looking at?"

"There." the Doctor replayed a clip of him and Haze entering the auditorium, on the way in a technician bumped into her.

"Was that it?"

"It has to be. She was with me the whole time until after the assassination, so it would have to be small, that's the only contact she'd have had. He must have painted her somehow, marked her with the energy signature."

"But you got the signature from the wound, so shouldn't he still be marked with it was well?"

The Doctor paused for a moment, "See, this is why I have you along," another pause, "A masking field?"

"Never heard of it."

"Of course not, its more advanced than you should have at this time, that's why I didn't think of it before, but its all falling into place now; how our killer got past security, the assassination that should never have happened. Whoever that was he shouldn't be here, we need to find him!"

Harold scrutinised the image, "Can't see his face, which will make bringing him in a bit difficult, he's one of dozens of techies."

"Quick, pass me my scanner."

"Why?" asked Harold as he handed over the device."

"Because every device has some kind of energy signature, even one producing a masking field. It's subtle, a much lower wavelength than anyone thinks to check. Except of course when you know what you're looking for and even then you have to be a certified genius to actually pick it up. If I can recalibrate this scanner and patch it into your security system, maybe I can get a fix on him."

"Better hurry up Doctor, you're running out of time, the transfer will go ahead soon."

The Doctor quickly performed the adjustments, triumphantly activating the improved surveillance system. The result was not quite as definitive as he had hoped for, a black trail snaked its way throughout the centre but failed to provide a definitive position. "Is that enough for you?" he demanded, "This proves a masking field was in effect, is this enough to stop the transfer?"

Harold nodded slowly, "It's enough to warrant further enquiries, to prevent anyone leaving the centre."

"Good enough. Get on to Reinhardt now!"

Harold tapped his earpiece, "Reinhardt? Reinhardt! We've uncovered new evidence, stop the transfer!"

***********************************

Haze was being marched across the base by the two security guards with Reinhardt in the lead. The main hall was still clear, all guests were still confined to the auditorium. She was ushered into the shuttle bay and the large heavy doors closed behind her. _This is it_, she thought. But without warning Reinhardt signalled for them to stop, and with his other hand reached up and tapped his earpiece and spoke a single word, "Affirmative." He turned to face Haze. "Well," he began, "it's your lucky day. It seems...."

But his words were cut off by a loud hiss and numerous red light began to start flashing.

"Depressurisation!" he roared.

Haze looked up to see the machinery that controlled the roof springing to life. Slowly, it began to slide back, removing the only barrier to the emptiness outside......

End of part 2


	3. The Wider Universe: Part 3

The Wider Universe

By Vanya

Part 3

"Doctor! The hanger!" Harold Cosgrove pointed frantically at the security monitors.

The Doctor looked up to see a flashing red light on the console. He turned his attention to the screen, which showed the mechanism that controlled the roof coming to life, with Haze and the security team stranded in the middle of the room.

"Can you trigger a lock-down?" he demanded.

"Yes."

"Do it!"

Harold quickly tapped his code into the security terminal. "No good, someone's tampered with the mechanism."

"Out of the way!" The Doctor pushed the young man aside and began work. _One chance._

**************************************

"The shuttle!"

The two security guards sprinted towards the closest of the waiting shuttles. Haze tried to follow, her hands still cuffed behind her back. Off balance she tripped and skidded across the floor. Reinhardt turned back to see her fall. Running to her aid he picked her up as if she weighed nothing and ran for safety. But as fast as he was Reinhardt wasn't fast enough. A slim gap appeared the the ceiling, the only protection they had was gone. As the atmosphere escaped Reinhardt was carried off his feet, and Haze was sent tumbling upwards towards the emptiness of space.

A loud clang echoed through the hanger as the roof returned to the closed position, sending both bodies falling back to the floor.

**************************************

"That shouldn't have worked," Harold stared in awe at the Doctor's work, "You can't repair the mechanism from here."

"Of course not. I just sent a power surge, blew out the main control mechanism and jump started the fail-safe. Hope you weren't planning on going leaving any time soon because that hanger is going to need some serious work. Now don't just stand there, get some medics in there now!"

The Doctor sprinted out of the security station and across the main hall of the exhibition centre. Two technicians were were attempting to get the hanger door open, but with little success.

"Out of the way!" the Doctor said fiercely as he pushed them aside. He quickly had the door open and sprinted inside to where Haze had fallen. He knelt down by her side and quickly checked her vitals. Her breathing was shallow but improving and her skin was cold to the touch. She's suffered a broken leg, a broken arm and, the Doctor concluded, a mild concussion, nothing he couldn't deal with.

"Help them!" the Doctor ordered as the centre's medics approached, gesturing to Reinhardt and the other members of the security team. He quickly released Haze from her restraints, then lifted her up and carried her out of the hanger.

**************************************

The assassin watched in disbelief as the Doctor carried Haze's limp, but alive body across the main hall towards the medical station. _How?_ The single word echoed round his mind. He had sabotaged the hanger mechanism himself and disabled the fail-safe. Most people couldn't have saved them that quickly if they'd been in the same room, but to do stop it from another part of the complex, that would take an unheard of level of technical skill. Even his trick with the door did nothing, all that careful tampering and he's pushed aside and the hanger is open within seconds. This 'Doctor' was going to be trouble, once the job was done it might be easier just to eliminate him.

**************************************

The exhibition centre's medical station was nothing impressive, better equipped to deal with a case of food poisoning than the after effects of decompression, but it would have to do. The Doctor set Haze down on the only bed and began to work on her head wound.

**************************************

Reinhardt slowly climbed to his feet, stumbling he leaned on a medic for support.

"Sir, you need to rest, you've just suffered a serious trauma." protested the medic.

"I'm fine, I've had worse." Had had. During his years of military service Reinhardt had received a staggeringly large number of injuries. In that time he had broken almost every bone in his body, had six of his fingers fingers reattached on separate occasions and was on his second set of internal organs after loosing his first to shrapnel. After everything he had been through he refused to let a little fall stand in his way.

"Someone has just tried to kill me," he said to the security team that had assembled in the hanger, "The assassin is still at large and somewhere in this complex and we will find him. Leave no stone unturned, suspect everyone."

**************************************

"We are all very sorry for your loss Mrs Cosgrove."

The late ambassador's wife sat with the Lunia and several key members of the Safian envoy. All of the guests were still confined to the auditorium, but Juliet had taken the visitors aside. They now sat in her husband's office, hoping to be able to rebuild the relationship between the two worlds.

"Thank you Lunia, I appreciate your support during this difficult time."

"While we sympathise with your plight this act of violence violates the principles on which the treaty was founded. I am very sorry Mrs Cosgrove, but we do not believe humans yet are ready to become part of the wider universe."

"No, you can't....." her voice trailed off. After everything that had happened she felt she didn't have the strength to carry on.

"We are sorry, but humans are still violent and unpredictable. We must take our leave of this place."

"Well I'm sorry Lunia but you're not going anywhere," Juliet found herself back in the negotiations, "You see the shooter is still at large and we believe that it was you he was shooting at. My husband wasn't killed for the treaty, he died protecting you. Until such time as his killer is apprehended we cannot allow you, or anyone else to leave. Now, we were talking about humanity....."

**************************************

As the guards spread out throughout the complex Reinhardt returned to the security station where Harold was still watching the monitors.

"What did you learn boy?" he demanded, "Talk fast."

"We know that he's posing as one of the centre technicians, although we have yet to identify him, and that's he's operating some sort of 'masking field' to conceal any energy signatures on his person."

"Anything that can help us find him?"

"I'm afraid not, the Doctor was able to locate the presence of a masking field, but couldn't pinpoint a specific location."

"In that case you're no good to us here. Report to the government on Earth, keep them updated on our situation here.

Reinhardt stormed out, he would have to find his prey the old fashioned way.

**************************************

Falling.

Falling.

Falling upwards.

Falling up towards the growing darkness.

The world flips. Up is down and down is up.

Falling down.

Landing...... pain..........

"Doctor!"

Haze sat bolt upright, gasping for breath. She looked around, panicked, expecting herself to be still be in the depressurised hanger. Instead she found herself in a small sterile room.

"I'm here Haze, I'm here," The Doctor rushed to her side, he squeezed her hand reassuringly and put his free hand round her shoulders, "Just breathe."

After a few deep breaths Haze's mind was beginning to catch up with where she was. After she regained her composure she asked, "So what happened?"

"Whoever was behind the assassination didn't want you to go round telling everyone that you were innocent, so he tried blow you and Reinhardt out of the hanger. It was only my quick thinking that saved you, our assassin is very proficient at killing."

"Thank you," and then an after thought, "Reinhardt? The security officers? Are they OK?"

"Oh Reinhardt's fine, takes more than a little depressurisation to slow him down. And the officers are in good hands"

"So what happens now?"

"Now you need to rest, you took quite a fall in the hanger. I've set your bones and taken care of your head, they call me 'the Doctor' for a reason you know."

"No. I feel fine and I'm not just going to sit here while that assassin is still on the loose. I need to do something."

The Doctor smiled, he suspected as much, Haze wasn't the type to take all this lying down, so to speak, "Alright, we'll go the security station, but take it easy, no strenuous activity."

Haze swung her legs over the edge of the bed and slowly, shakily got to her feet. Supported by the Doctor they made their way to through the back corridors of the exhibition centre, once again arriving at the security station. As she settled down in front of the monitors Haze was relieved to be on the right side of the station this time, no longer a prisoner.

**************************************

When it comes down to it spaceships, and indeed many other technologically advanced forms of travel, are not dissimilar from bombs. They have have a different function and more parts, but at the core they actually have a lot in common. The right mind with the right intent can easily strip away the 'useless' parts and modify one to act as the other, but it usually only works once.

With this thought in his mind the assassin strolled into the the second hanger of the complex. _Such a beautiful ship_ he thought, _almost a shame what I have to do to it._

"You! You don't have clearance to be in here," The assassin spun round to find himself confronted with one of the centre's supervisors, "Mr Reynolds? You again. You have seem to have a knack for being in the wrong place, I'm calling security."

"Ah hello again Mr.... you know, I never did learn your name. I was hoping we'd have a chance to......chat." A malicious grin spread across the assassin's face as energy crackled between his fingertips.

**************************************

"OK, so what are we looking at?" Haze starred at the black mass being shown on the security cameras.

"That shows the presence of the masking field," explained the Doctor, "It shows everywhere our assassin has been. I'd hoped to use it to pinpoint him, but the signature is too spread out."

"So why not just look for the ends?"

There was a long pause. The Doctor repeated the words silently to himself. He'd become so preoccupied with the technology he'd overlook the simplest solution to the problem. "Haze, you're a genius." The Doctor began frantically scanning the monitors, looking for the edges of the trail.

**************************************

The assassin walked from the supervisor's corpse and towards the Safian ship. _So his name was Ellis, _he mused after consulting the dead man's name badge, _Who'd have thought it_. Already he felt better about his mission, with enough of a bang maybe it could still go more or less as planned. He stepped up to the shuttle and ran his hand over the ship's hull, his own computer interfacing with the one on board telling it to open for him. The sleek, silver skin of the craft slid aside and he stepped through. The interior of the Safian ship, although a little confined was artistically decorated, even the engine room could have been mistaken for a piece of sculpture. With a little more destruction than was necessary he began to disassemble the ship's drive until he was holding the silver, cone shaped power cell, surprisingly heavy given its size.

With his prize in hand the assassin walked back through the ship. A case containing a small sculpture, an gift for the human delegation, lay on a shelf by the doorway. Without a second thought he tipped the artwork onto the floor, shattering the piece, before placing the stolen power cell in the the case and strolling off the ship as casually as he's entered.

With an air of confidence the assassin walked up the guards at the auditorium.

"Delivery for the Safians," he said holding up the case, then added, "Ellis sent me."

The guards looked sceptical, "Hardly a priority given the climate."

"Don't look at me, just following orders."

One guard scanned his false ID while the other checked out the contents of the case. "Sorry Mr Reynolds, but no one goes in or out, Reinhardt's orders."

The assassin sighed, he glanced round the main hall, no witnesses. He smiled, _Looks like I'm going to have to do this the easy way._

**************************************

"Got one!" Haze pointed to one of the monitors. It showed the server room, the home of all the centre's computer network. The trail started there and snaked off onto the rest of the complex.

"Point of entry," muttered the Doctor as he followed shadow of the field throughout the complex, examining every twist and turn the assassin had made made, until eventually.....

"Reinhardt! Its the Doctor. Assemble your team, we have him. He's in the auditorium!" as he went for the door he turned back for a moment, "Haze, keep an eye on the monitors. This room is equipped with blast shields, if things start to get bad I suggest you use them."

"And what do you mean by 'get bad'?"

"The assassin has just come off the Safian ship, and I think I know what he took with him....."

The Doctor left Haze in the security station as he sprinted to join the security team assembling outside the auditorium.

**************************************

Reinhardt uncomfortably checked his weapon. One of the conditions the Safians had laid down was no lethal weapons were to be carried, all the security team had were glorified crowd control devices. Their adversary was dangerous and cunning and all they had were stun guns, it wasn't a an ideal situation for Reinhardt, while they were unable to use lethal force the assassin clearly had no problem with it. The bodies of the auditorium guards were cleared away in preparation for the assault.

**************************************

Hours had passed since the assassination of Ambassador Cosgrove and the guests were getting restless. When a new figure entered the auditorium all eyes turned to him, each person hoping for a way out, or at least some news. But the newcomer, just a basic technician, said nothing as he walked down the aisle. He stepped up onto the stage and placed a metal case onto the table. He flipped the lid open, and out of sight of the audience laid his hand on the silver cone. He concentrated for a moment as his computer sent instructions to the microchips and a jolt of energy from his suit started the power generation process. With everything in motion he pushed the case to one side and stood the silver cone up on the table.

"Safian art folks, enjoy it while you can." he told the audience with a broad grin.

Then all hell broke loose.

**************************************

"Be careful, he's got a bomb!"

Very few words could postpone an assault, but Reinhardt hesitated as the Doctor came running round the corner, almost running into him.

"Bomb? What do you mean? Where could he have got one?"

"Well not a bomb exactly, but I was tracking his movements, he was aboard the Safian ship. I think he removed the primary power cell. In the wrong hands, which I'm sure belong to our assassin, it could be very dangerous and potentially explosive. Watch your fire."

"Don't worry Doctor, I am a excellent shot. Besides, look at the weapons they make us carry. Stun only, I couldn't do any serous damage if I wanted to."

"Oh, carry on then."

Reinhardt turned to one of his team, a man monitoring the auditorium with a keyhole camera, "Are we clear?"

"Yes sir, he's on the stage, but not holding any hostages, he has a case with him, possibly containing the power cell the Doctor talked about."

"Thank you sergeant. Prepare to breach!"

With the door charges in place the security team took a step back. Reinhardt levelled his weapon while the sergeant flipped open the cover on his detonator.

"Now!"

The heavy wooden door exploded inwards, throwing clouds of smoke and splinters into the auditorium. Reinhardt charged through, sighting a solitary figure on the stage he fired.

It was a good shot, but ineffective. As the blast hit him a shimmer went round the assassin, blocked by a personal shield. In response he raised his arm and fired off a blast of energy at the attacking security force, causing them to scatter and take cover. A panicked scream went through the crowd as the audience hit the floor.

With his job complete and no desire to be around when the power cell exploded the assassin turned and dived into the nearest storage cupboard, needing some privacy for his escape. Once inside he fused the door shut. As he prepared to leave something caught his eye, something that shouldn't be there, a tall blue box, buzzing with energy. The assassin walked up to it, amazed. He ran his hand across the door, but suffered a violent rejection when he tried to interface. _Of course!_ Everything was making sense now, _A time machine! The Doctor's a time traveller. _Once again he smiled maliciously, _I know exactly how to deal with you........_

**************************************

"Sergeant, the door!"

The security team had advanced through the auditorium and had amassed round the door the assassin disappeared into.

"Forget the door! If this thing goes off there won't be a door, or an exhibition centre!"

While the security team were focusing on the assassin the Doctor had turned his attention to the fuel cell. He reached out to touch it, but recoiled quickly from the heat.

"Yep, definitely on." he muttered.

Reinhardt had left his people to work on the door while he joined the Doctor, "How do we stop it?"

"Can't be done, sorry."

"Is there anything we can do?"

"It's started to build up, which means right now we have two choices, and one is to let it explode."

"So what's the other?"

The Doctor removed his jacket and wrapped it round the power cell, "Find a safe place to discharge the energy."

"But we're completely enclosed, there's no way outside and no atmosphere if we do."

"I do have one idea, but its risky."

Reinhardt contemplated for a moment, the urgency of the situation weighing heavily on him, "Do it, whatever it takes."

"Give me your ear piece."

Reinhardt removed his communication device and handed it to the Doctor, who quickly inserted it.

"Haze? Can you hear me?"

"I'm here Doctor." the Scottish voice crackled in his ear.

The Doctor scooped up the power cell contained within his jacket and ran towards the broken main door, "I need you to look for a switch labelled 'iris control', it should be somewhere in the security station, probably wall mounted."

A brief pause, "Got it."

"Good," the Doctor was into the main hall. He set the power cell down in the middle of the room, directly beneath the domed ceiling, "When I say so, pull the switch. Pull it to early we're all dead, pull it too late it'll probably just kill me."

"Better off going late then." Haze laughed nervously.

"Oy! None of that. I'm preparing to discharge the energy in this power cell."

"Good luck Doctor." she was solemn again, the seriousness of the situation sinking in.

"Thank you. Discharging in three, two, one....."

The Doctor pointed the sonic screwdriver power cell and activated it. The built up energy was directed through the tip of the cone. A blinding stream was fired upwards, punching through the glass ceiling and out into the nothingness of space. Shading his eyes the Doctor started intently at the source of the energy, watching, waiting. As the output of the device began to drop the Doctor tapped his earpiece,"Now!"

In the security station Haze pulled the switch, and hoped that whatever plan the Doctor had concocted would work.

In the main hall the metal shield slid into place as the last of the energy left the device. So perfect was the Doctor's timing that the last of the energy was discharged as the protective iris closed. The Doctor sank to the floor, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Doctor! Did it work?" Haze's voice urgently screamed in his ear.

"Don't worry, Haze, it worked." and with that the Doctor removed the earpiece and threw it across the floor.

**************************************

Reinhardt's team were forced to blow open the door of the supply cupboard. Once inside they found no trace of the assassin, despite an extensive search of the room. There was one door in, no other way out and nowhere to hide. Security spent a few minutes trying to force their way into the blue box, but eventually came to the conclusion that it could not be opened. What happened to the assassin would have to remain a mystery.

**************************************

Many hours had passed since the shoot out in the auditorium. Once the crisis was over Haze returned to the medical station, where she and the injured security personnel were eventually given a clean bill of health. Meanwhile the Doctor had locked himself away with the Safian envoy and high ranking centre officials, trying desperately to repair the damage done that day. Since one shuttle bay was broken and the other shuttle had had it's power source ripped out no one was going anywhere. Ships from nearby human colonies were being brought in to ferry all present back home and shuttles from the Safian planet waited patiently.

Haze wondered though the exhibition. When she had arrived it was in being set up and now it was being packed away. She returned to the 'Human Spirit' stall, glancing over it her eyes were once again drawn to a single picture on the stand. It was a woman in her late thirties with mousey brown hair wearing thick framed glasses. Underneath was a caption:

Hazel 'Haze' McCall

She taught us all about life on other worlds

That was all, with so many people to pay tribute to there wasn't room for a full biography, the one picture was all the tribute anyone got.

"You were named after her weren't you?" Haze spun round to see Elizabeth Cosgrove smiling at her, "There is a certain resemblance you know, are you related?"

"Probably, never realised she was so important." After a moment's consideration Haze decided not to ask questions about her future, best just to let things happen. She decided to change the subject, "I miss the view."

Both women looked up at the dull metal shield that now dominated the ceiling, replacing the breathtaking view of Safia. Elizabeth nodded, "Me too."

"So what happens now?"

"We're leaving, Reinhardt insisted that after everything that happened here today Harold and I take the first shuttle out of here?"

"I'm sorry. What about the treaty?"

"It was a setback, but I think it can be saved, I certainly hope so. Your Doctor's gone in there himself to explain the situation, to try and get the Safians to listen again. The government want to send in a new ambassador from Earth, but to be honest I think Mum has a better chance of repairing things, she's already got a good relationship with Lunia. Dad sacrificing himself to save her probably put my family on better relationship with them than any other ambassador could hope to achieve."

"I'm sorry about your father."

"Thank you. But I have some good news, you've officially been declared innocent."

"You couldn't have kept me here anyway, as soon as the Doctor's ready we're off."

"I know."

With that comment the Doctor walked into the main hall, along with Reinhardt, Juliet Cosgrove, Miss Lombardo, Lunia and the rest of the Safian envoy.

"We're leaving." the only words the Doctor said as he walked past.

"Good bye Elizabeth."

"Good bye Haze."

The two women embraced, then Haze turned and ran after the Doctor.

**************************************

"Cheer up," said Haze as they stepped aboard the TARDIS, "We won didn't we?"

"Not really. Don't you see Haze, none of this should have happened, history was changed today. That assassin, whoever he was has the ability to time travel and he's still out there. He dangerous and has no morals when it comes to causality, who knows where he could appear next, what damage he could do."

The Doctor walked up to the console and began to throw switches.

"But enough of that, I think after that you could use some rest and relaxation, I know where the best health spa in the universe is, what do you say?"

"Sounds good. I'd say....."

There was a muffled booming noise and the control room rocked violently sending Haze sprawling across the floor.

"What happened," she asked in a panicked voice, "Are we OK."

"Oh we're fine. Well except for one small, almost insignificant thing."

"What's that?"

"We're going to crash."

End


End file.
